How does an annulment differ from a divorce?

Grounds for annulment vary slightly from state to state. Generally, they may be obtained for one of the following reasons:

• misrepresentation or fraud -- for example, a spouse lied about the capacity to have children, stated that she had reached the age of consent or failed to say that she was still married to someone else
• concealment -- for example, concealing an addiction to alcohol or drugs, conviction of a felony, children from a prior relationship, a sexually transmitted disease or impotency
• refusal or inability to consummate the marriage -- that is, refusal or inability of a spouse to have sexual intercourse with the other spouse, or
• misunderstanding -- for example, one person wanted children and the other did not.

Most annulments take place after a marriage of a very short duration -- a few weeks or months, so there are usually no assets or debts to divide, or children for whom custody, visitation and child support are a concern. When a long-term marriage is annulled, however, most states have provisions for dividing property and debts, as well as determining custody, visitation, child support and alimony. Children of an annulled marriage are not considered illegitimate.

When are married people considered separated?

• Trial separation. When a couple lives apart for a test period, to decide whether or not to separate permanently, it's called a trial separation. Even if they don't get back together, the assets they accumulate and debts they incur during the trial period are usually considered jointly owned.

• Living apart. Spouses who no longer reside in the same dwelling are said to be living apart. In some states, living apart without intending to reunite changes the spouses' property rights. For example, some states consider property accumulated and debts incurred between living apart and divorce to be the separate property or debt of the person who accumulated or incurred it.

• Permanent separation. When a couple decides to split up, it's often called a permanent separation. It may follow a trial separation, or may begin immediately when the couple starts living apart. In most states, all assets received and most debts incurred after permanent separation are the separate property or responsibility of the spouse incurring them.

• Legal separation. A legal separation results when the parties separate and a court rules on the division of property, alimony, child support, custody and visitation -- but does not grant a divorce. The money awarded for support of the spouse and children under these circumstances is often called separate maintenance (as opposed to alimony and child support).